Son Of God- Andre Ward

Created: 21 February 2014

He is undisputed world's best super-middle. The Olympic Champion as amateur and now one of the best in P4P ranking. Till today he doesn't know the taste of loss and no one of his much respectable opponents had even a chance to beat him. He is The Son Of God!

Andre Ward was born on February 23, 1984, San Francisco, California. He started to box, influenced by his father Frank, the former heavyweight. Sadly, Frank doesn't experienced his son's the first great success, Olympic Gold, he pasted away two years before the Games. All the victories Andre still dedicate to his father. Andre met the luck at the very first day in the boxing gym, when the famous Virgil Hunter agreed to train him. Virgil still guide Andre on the ring and also he became the fighter's Godfather.

As amateur Andre has the record of 114-5. Twice he has won US Nationals and after the winning the box-offs, he qualified to 2004 Athens Olympics. The light-heavyweight (81 Kilo) draft wasn't such a lucky for Ward, all of his opponents were dangerous one after another. But Andre cracked them all! In the first bout he won the future two-time World Champion, The Italian Clemente Russo. Then came the two hardest victories over the overwhelming favorites of the division, the world champions, Eugeni Makarenko of Russia and Utkirbek Haydarov of Uzbekistan. And the confident win over Magomed Aripgadzhiev of Belarus in the finals. Andre Ward became the first American boxing Olympic Champion in the last eight years!

Turning to pro, Andre being the religious person, takes the ring name S.O.G. or Son Of God. Ward is not a typical knockout puncher, but he has speed, stamina and skills. But the most of all, he is gifted with the outstanding sense of the distance, which gives him ability to stop and extinguish the attack of any opponent. Ward is awkward opponent himself and at the second phase of the fight he makes look uncomfortably any fighter. In 2009-11, he won the Super Six Series, which collected the champions of super-middleweight division, beating on his way the four different world champions and earning WBA and WBC belts. Later on, Andre will knockout the former light-heavyweight champion, Chad Dawson. Right now, Ward has six successful defenses behind him and the record of 27(14 KO)-0. On February 23, Andre Ward has his Big Anniversary- 30!

On the same date, in 1947, in Astrakhan, Russia, was born 1972 Munich Olympic featherweight (57 Kilo) Champion, Boris Kuznetsov. On Olympics Boris beat all of his five opponents, but in finals earned the win over the 1968 Mexico Olympics Val Barker Trophy owner, Philip Waruinge of Kenya. On 1974 inaugural Amateur World Championships in Havana, Kuznetsov won the silver, in the finals, in the very tight fight, losing to the future Olympic Champion and also Val Barker Trophy owner, The American Howard Davis. As amateur Kuznetsov had a record of 237-12.

The Champion suddenly pasted away on May, 2006. He was only 59. In his hometown, for almost 20 years already, has been hold the international tournament named after him. On February 23, Boris Kuznetsov would became 67-years-old!